Frank Reade was a great inventor, who gained immense fame and fortune for his miraculous steam powered inventions, including the Steam Man and the Steam Horse. He used his wealth to found Reade Iron Works and the small city of Readestown. His son, described as a slender and handsome youth, was equally ingenious, but developed an even wider and more complex range of electric technologies. Frank Sr. eventually retired, too old for extensive travel, but Frank Jr. had a deep thirst for adventure. He spent years taking his airships and other vehicles around the world, having adventures and often searching for treasure. He was accompanied on his voyages by his father’s old friends, Pomp and the kindly Irishman Barney O’Shea. Pomp and Barney constantly quarreled, though they cared about each other. Frank Jr. was married at the time of his early adventures, and he earned his Ph.D. in later years. He had two children of his own: Frank Reade III and Kate Reade, both of whom possessed the genius of their father. His inventions included The Explorer, an electrically powered armored submarine (1893), The Air-Canoe, a propeller powered air ship (1893), The Electric Van, a metal all-terrain transport designed for a safari in Africa (1893), The Thunderer, a massive tank on metal wheels, resembling an armored school bus with cannons on both ends (1893), The Queen Clipper, a propeller powered air ship, resembling a flying clipper ship (1893), and The Thunderbolt, his largest airship (1902).
Creators/Key Contributors Luis P. Senarens (aka Noname)
First Appearance Boys of New York Magazine (1876)
First Publisher Frank Tousey
Appearance List Frank Reade Library (192 issues, 1892-1898), Frank Reade Weekly Magazine (1902-1904), Aldine’s Romance of Travel, Invention and Adventure Library (1894-1906), Frank Reade (86 issues, 1928-?)
Description Frank Reade was a great inventor, who gained immense fame and fortune for his miraculous steam powered inventions, including the Steam Man and the Steam Horse. He used his wealth to found Reade Iron Works and the small city of Readestown. His son, described as a slender and handsome youth, was equally ingenious, but developed an even wider and more complex range of electric technologies. Frank Sr. eventually retired, too old for extensive travel, but Frank Jr. had a deep thirst for adventure. He spent years taking his airships and other vehicles around the world, having adventures and often searching for treasure. He was accompanied on his voyages by his father’s old friends, Pomp and the kindly Irishman Barney O’Shea. Pomp and Barney constantly quarreled, though they cared about each other. Frank Jr. was married at the time of his early adventures, and he earned his Ph.D. in later years. He had two children of his own: Frank Reade III and Kate Reade, both of whom possessed the genius of their father. His inventions included The Explorer, an electrically powered armored submarine (1893), The Air-Canoe, a propeller powered air ship (1893), The Electric Van, a metal all-terrain transport designed for a safari in Africa (1893), The Thunderer, a massive tank on metal wheels, resembling an armored school bus with cannons on both ends (1893), The Queen Clipper, a propeller powered air ship, resembling a flying clipper ship (1893), and The Thunderbolt, his largest airship (1902).
